Vacuum cleaner



Mar. 6, 1923. 1,447,814. G. R. PAULUS.

VACUUM CLEANER.

FILED SEPT,12,1918. 3 SHEETS-SHEET l.

Y we/zfor G. R. PAULUS.

VACUUM CLEANER.

FILED SEPTz lz. |918.

Mar. 6, 1923.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

In V917 for @GAA/e440 Mar. 6, 1923. 1,447,814. G. R, PAULUS.

VACUUM CLEANER.

FILED SEPT, l2, 1918. 3 SHEETSSHEET 3.

i Patented Mar. 6, 1923. l

. UNITED STATES v1,447,2314 PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE R. PAULUS, OF CANTON, OHIO, ASSIGNOR TO UNITED ELECTRIC COMPANY, OF CANTON, OHIO, A CORPORATION F OHIO.

. VACUUM annimmt..l x

Application led September 12, 1918. Serial No. 253,897.

To all whom, it may concern.'l

Be itknown that I, GEORGE R. PAULUS, a citizen of the United States, residing at Canton, in the county of Stark and State of 5. Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements 'in' `Vacuum Cleaners, of which the following is a specification.

The invention relates to vacuum cleaners and other like machines operated by. electric power and manipulated by propeller handles having forked arms pivotally connected to the sides of the machines; and the object of the` improvement is to provide means for automatically opening andclosing the elecl tric circuit by swinging thehandle from a reclined propelling position to and from an upright non-'propelling position, for normally holding the handle in upright nonpropelling position, and vfor locking the handle` in various sitions.

vPortable electric vacuum cleaners and like machines are usually operated by a ...handle ivotallyconnected by forked arms to the sides of themachine, and carrying a dust separating and collecting bag and a portion of the electric cord between the handle and the rear end of the machine.

When the machine is in' use, the handle normally extends upward and rearward at about forty-five degrees so that its rear end can beconveniently grasped byl the hand for propelling the machine to and fro upon a Hoor, during which operation it is desirable that the electric circuit shall'be closed for a segmental rack;

.constant operation of the machine.

When, however, the machine is not in use,Y it is customary to lift the handle so that it will stand upright in non-propelling position upon the machine, and while in this position, the electric current should be opened so that the machine will not be running while idle.

When lifted into upright position, the handle should be held pe endicular to the plane of the machine so t at its body will not swing upon the handle pivots when being carried by the handle; and it is also desirable to`lock the handle in various positions for different kinds of work.

By the present invention, a cam switch plate is located at one side of the machine and a laterally yielding spring detent is provided on the adjacent handle arm for automatically operating the switch to open and close Vthe circuit by a forward and rearward on the other side of the vacuum cleaner;

swinging of the handle arm, and lalso frf automatically coordinating these parts when the switch has been operatedl by meansother than by the handle arm; and a stop. and a spring arm are provided on the other side of the machine for normally engaging the other handle arm to hold the handle perpendicular to the plane of the body, and a spring latch is also located on said arm for locking the handle in various positions.

A preferred embodiment of the invention, as applied to a vacuum cleaner, is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, forming part hereof, in which i Figure l is a side elevation kof a portable electric vacuum cleaner showing the handle holding and locking devices;'

Fig. 2, a fragmentary perspective view showing the switch plate and spring detent Fig. 3, a fragmentary vertical section showing the switch operating devices; Fig. 4, a fragmentary side elevation showing the operation of the cam switch plate by the spring detent;

Fig. 5, a detached spring detent;

Fig.. 6, a fragmentary view showing the opera-tion of the switch controlling arm;

Fig. 7, a vertical section showing the handle holding and locking devices;

Fig. S, a fragmentary side elevation ofthe same with the latch plate removed;

Fig. 9, a detached perspective view of the perspective lview of the Fig. 10, a detached perspective view of the spring arm; and

Fig. 11, as detached' the latch plate.

Similar numerals refer throughout the drawings. i

The handle 1 is provided with the forked arms 2 and 2, which are pivoted at 3 and 3a to the opposite sides of the fan case 4 of the vacuum cleaner; and the segmental rack 5 is secured to one side of the fan case inside the arm V2 concentric with the pivotthereof.

The latch plate 6 is slidably mounted on the outer side of the arm 2 and is held for perspectivev view of to similar parts Yico limited endwise movement by the shouldered plate, and the heads i0 of which engage the outer side ci said plate. The bearing hall ll is 1 le located in the aperture 12 in the handle arni 2 which permits the ball to protrude beyond,

the outer tace ol the arm for impingutgl the inner side ot' the latch plate; and the leal spring 13 is secured as by the rivet 14 at its upper end to the inner side ot the handle arm and extends downward back ot the ball so as to press it forward in its aperture against the spring latch. rllhe parts are so proportioned and arranged that the bear-A ing ball will partially enter the upper end ot the upper slot 9 in the .latch plate when the same is moved to its upper limit so that the bearing ball-holds the `latch upward in a more or less positive manner; and when the latch is moved downward, the bearing ball is pressed backward against the lea'l spring lwhich serves to frictionally hold the latch in a given position.

The locking lug 15 is secured, as by the rivet 16, to the inner side of the latch plate 6 intermediate the guide slots 9 therein, and this lug pr'otrudes through the longitudinal slot 17 provided in the handle arm 2, to engage with the notches 1S in the segmental rack 5 when the latch plate is moved downward upon the arm, but to ride freely over the upper edge 19 ot the rack between the slots when the latch plate is moved upward upon the arm. lll`he segmental plate is extended upward in front ot the forward notch 18, and in rear of the rearward notch 18, to torni positive stops 20 and 21 tor the handle arm when the lug 15 is moved upward thereon, Jl'or positively limiting the forward and rearward movements of the handle of the machine.

rll"he spring arm 22 1s secured to the inner side ot the segmental rack and extends up.

ward in the path ot 'the locking lug' 15, inimediately in front ot the position ot said lug when the handle is lifted upward to the positive stop 20, as shown in Fig. 1, and servesV to hold the handle in this non-propelling position.v rllhe spring arm is inclined or bevelled inwardly on each side 23 so as to present a cam tace to the locking lug which is thus perinitd to pass the arm by forcing it inward, when the handle is moved with the Suti'ficient. power to overcome 'the strength of the spring.

The handle may be locked either in upright position as shown in Fig. 1 or in rearwardly inclined position as shown in llig, 2, or in a further reclined position, not shown, lby pushing the latch plate downward until the locking ingr' enters one of the notches 18. ln this position the latch lug is held by pressure ot the bearing ball 11, until the latch plate is moved upward with sufficient torce to overcome such pressure; whereupon the latch plate is held upward to hold the lug' free above the upper edge 19 ot the segmental rack. by the partial protrusion of the bearing ball the upper recrear.-

end of the upper slot 9 in the latch plate, so that the handle may be swung on its pivots.

rlfhe switch arm 24 and the controlling arm 25 are lined on the pintle 26, which is joui-nailed in the switch block 26a in the motor case, and the controlling arm is adapted to be swung between the stops 27 and 27a trom its for-ward position shown in full lines in Fig. 6, when the controlling arm 25 closes the circuit, to its rearward position shown in broken lines in the same ligure, when the switch arm opens the circuit.

The pendent ll-shaped switch bracket 28 is pivoted by its inner arni to the saine pintle 26 which carries the switch arm to which it is connected by the expansion spring 29, and the yoke ot this bracket extends outward through the segmental aperture 30 formed in the motor case. Upon the outer arm of the switch bracket is secured the cam switch plate 31, which is preferably in the form ot' slightly dished or laterally beveled disk having its convex side presented out-- ward, whicli disk is extended upward so as to be substantially coi-axial with the pintle` 26 which carries the controlling arm and the switch bracket.

'lhe Y-shaped peripheral notch 32 is provided in the upper half ot the switch plate, i

and upon the inner side of the handle arm 2a is secured the laterally yielding spring 38, upon which is located the detent 3l, which is adapted to operate in the Y -notch to throw the switch for opening and closing the circuit. i i.

When the circuit is closed, the parts .fare in the position shown in full lines in Figs. 2, t and 6, with the handle arm inclined rearwardly, and when the handle arm is swung forward to upright position, it is evident that the detent 34 will pass freely overthe rear edge 35 and will strike the forward edge 35 ot the notch 32 in the switch plate, thus rotating; the plate clockwise, as viewed in Figs. 2 and fl, and swing'- ing the switch bracket 28 for opening the circuit, as shown in broken lines 'in Figs. l

and 6; atterwhich the detent passes freely over the forward edge 35 ot the switchl plate, and is in position for beim,r swung rearward by the handle arm to reverse the operation `for closing the circuit.

lin these operations it will be understood that the controlling arm 25 is held in one position by the expansion spring 29 connecting its tree end with the yolte ot the switch bracket. until the swinging of the bracket has carried the spring to and beyond the axis ot the switch arm whereupon the action of the spring carries 'the controllingi arm suddenly 'to its other position.

ln event the switch plate has been operated by means other than the detent 343: on the handle arm, and the notch is not lli positioned to receive the detent peripherally, it is evident that the convexity of the outer side of the plate serves to deflect the detent outwardly as shown by dotted lines in Fig. 3, by a yielding of the spring plate 33, so as to passthe solid portion of the plate and permit the detent to enter the Y-notch from the side of the plate, whereupon it is in normal position to operate the switchas before described.

In the normal relation of the parts as described, when the circuit is closed and the machine is operating with the handle inclined rearward, the switch will be automatically operatedioopen the circuit by merely swinging the handle forward into the upright position shown in Fig. 1; and the switch will Vagain be automatically operated to close the circuit, by merely swinging the handle rearward from an upright position to the inclined position shown in F ig. 2.

I claim:

A vacuum cleaner having a swinging propeller handle arm thereon and an electric switch therein, a -rotatable plate operatively connected with the switch having a notch in its periphery, and a laterally yielding spring detent on the arm normally operating into and out of the notch for alternately operating the plate in opposite directions, the face of the plate being beveled for delecting the detent to enter the notch from the side of the plate when the same is abnormally positioned.

GEORGE R. PAULUS. 

